| |
 
JUMAMOY , LAGUNAY |
|
Provincial
lawmakers will conduct its separate inquiry into alleged
irregularities in cash disbursements involving cooperatives
formed by the Bohol Poverty Reduction Management Office
(BPRMO).
This
developed even as a probe team created by Gov. Erico
Aumentado is set to hold another round of hearings on
Friday.
|
During
its hearings last week, former BPRMO head Primo Digao, and
now Carmen municipal councilor, admitted to the probe team
that he used some P140,000 of the cooperative fund for his
campaign in the 2007 elections.
|
|
|
Provincial
Board Member Josephine Socorro Jumamoy, in a privilege
speech, called for a separate inquiry by the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan (SP).
Jumamoy
is chair of the SP committee on cooperatives.
Meanwhile,
in a separate interview with the Chronicle, the head
of the governor's probe team Provincial Legal Officer
Atty. Handel Lagunay said initial findings of their
investigations will not be made public yet.
|
He
said all parties implicated in the fund mess should be able
to give their statement before the probe team can issue its
findings.
Digao
was said to have been implicated when during his watch the
P2 million grant by the provincial government for the cooperatives
can hardly be liquidated.
Digao
was also figured in the alleged withdrawing of cash deposits
in the name of the cooperatives to bankroll his electoral
bid in 2007 elections for Carmen councilor. It was not immediately
known if Digao confessed or denied this allegation before
the probe hearing last week.
The
Commission on Audit, in its examination conducted January
9, 2008, has strongly recommended for the immediate relief
of a certain Patricia T. Limboy, community affairs officer
and special disbursing officer of the BPRMO, for her failure
to account the fund or shortage in the amount of PhP200,000.
COA's
recommendation signed by state auditor IV Pedro A. Paumig,
Jr. said the move is "to safeguard adequately the cash
and records of BPRMO and the cooperative."
In
an earlier interview, Pernia said that after sensing that
something is going "fishy" in the coop fund disbursement,
he immediately told the governor about it after which the
latter ordered for an investigation by COA.
He
said that what was going on with BPRMO in the past, he only
inherited some of those alleged anomalies.
The
shortage stemmed from the BPRMO's project costing PhP2 million
pesos for assistance to Household Security and Agribusiness
of 20-member cooperatives under the umbrella of BPRMO group
of cooperatives.
The
COA found that the fund (P2-M) fell short of what was intended,
broken down as follows: consumers, vegetables/fruits, livestock/poultry,
and fabrication at P500,000 apiece.
But
the actual expenditures showed otherwise. And the total expenses
amounted only to P1,928,831.15, COA said, saying these expenditures
are "irregular." These (expenses) include: meals/travel,
P34,759.80; gasoline, P26,420.40; cell phones purchase, P62,980.00;
computer printer/fax, P48,095.00; delivery truck purchase,
P507,528.25; merchandise purchase, P 438,192.75; cash advances
to Matilde Campoamor, P 153,000.00 and N. Macua, P438,192.75;
Smart bills for Nestor Macua, P1,000.00; and other expenses,
P56,855.15`
Campoamor
is the representative of Villafuerte Multi-purpose cooperative
and Nacua is coop manager.
COA
pointed out that cellular phones and Smart bills "are
not properly chargeable against the financial assistance."
The same is true with the purchase of the delivery truck and
2 units of computers at thinking Tools on July 14, 2005 in
the amount of P29,000 and P7,600, the COA said.
Cash
advances to Campoamor and Nacua must be refunded, said the
COA. The COA also lamented that aside from the P2-M, coop
federation under the BPRMO contributed a total of P325,200
as their capital build-up or CBU, hence the supposed total
amount of coops would be P2,325,200.00 but the "missing"
amount of P396,368.85 is still unaccounted.
|
